Mystery of unused Wooldale crossing finally revealed

Oct 29 2009 By Nick Lavigueur

“They’ve now decided at this late stage that it doesn’t meet their guidelines.

“We have tried to deal with this in a civilised manner and we’ve had tremendous support from all the residents.

“Some people may feel we’re trying to stop road safety improvements but it’s not the case.”

And Mrs Wray said the money they had shelled out for the access was not at the heart of the row.

She added: “It’s not the cost of the access it’s the cost to our lives and the future of people who will have difficulty accessing our house.

“If we lose this we would have to move and the house would be totally devalued.

“They would be taking away disabled access as the back entrance is simply too steep.”

Margaret Dale, chair of the Wooldale Residents Association, who has led the campaign against the crossing, said people had been surprised the inquiry was only considering whether the driveway access would create a danger to the highway.

It is not considering the safety of the positioning of the crossing or the fact the access was given permission first. A decision will be made by the Secretary of State.

The decision is expected next year.